CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
In June of
1998, I was in Indiana visiting my twin sister Mary; and we were busy planning
the celebration of our sixtieth birthday coming up in December. The family had always gathered in Indiana for
surprise parties for our older sisters on their sixtieth; but we wanted
something different!
Within a
week we had made a decision that the perfect way to celebrate our birthday was
not with our families but only with our two older sisters in the Big
Apple: New York City. Given that our birthday falls just three days
before Christmas, we weren't sure how our husbands and children would feel
about our trip; but we plunged ahead with our plans.
We called
our sisters and they were as excited about the trip as we were. Soon we were scheduling all of the things
that we wanted to do; think of the perfect date with your best fella and that
was our plan. We started making reservations
and writing letters in an attempt to get tickets for television shows. Yes, David Letterman was high on our list
since he was from Indiana. All four of us
sent in requests for tickets; but that was one item on our list that didn't
happen!
Another
hitch was the reservation for our birthday dinner. We had in mind that our special dinner should
be in the Rainbow & Stars Room in Rockefeller Center; they decided to close
that winter for redecorating.
Disappointed but soon we started thinking of other restaurants that were
really special and finally decided to go to the Windows of the World at the top
of the World Trade Center. Little did we
know that it would be blown out of the skyline three years later.
Returning
to California I broke the news to my husband and children that I was planning
my birthday with my sisters in New York City.
Mary and I had not been together on our birthday since 1956, our
eighteenth birthday; so how could they say much of anything. I promised to be home for our annual
Christmas Eve Mass and family party.
Through the
fall we continued to make our plans for December; soon I had reservations on
American Airlines to fly from California into JFK in New York City. All three of my sisters were flying together
from Indiana and would arrive before me.
The plan was for me to take a shuttle bus to the hotel and meet them
there on December 21st.
We reserved
a room with two queen beds at the Sheraton Manhattan on 7th at 53rd street,
smack dab in the center of all the places we wanted to see on our special
trip. I had been traveling at that time
for business and had accrued Sheraton Points that allowed us the use of the
concierge floor, an added plus for free breakfast in the morning and cocktails
in the evening!
December
arrived with a flurry of activity; we had our annual Eastlake Christmas Boat
Parade party and then I worked to prepared the house for the family party on
Christmas Eve. By the time I left for
New York the tables were set, the Christmas gifts were wrapped and under the
tree; except those for the grandchildren that we sorted by age and arranged on
the staircase with the youngest at the bottom.
Food was purchased and ready for Jim to prepare early on the 24th. The pizza was ordered...a traditional food
for the grandchildren...and set for delivery just as we would be returning from
Mass. I had dotted my "i's"
and crossed my "t's", so off to the Big Apple I flew on December
21st!
The weather in NYC was perfect as I landed: crisp, clear
and brisk, but no snow. I arrived at the
Sheraton Hotel by way of the shuttle bus and found all three of my sisters waiting
for me. Soon we were off to see the
fabulous Christmas decorations in Rockefeller Plaza. Absolutely amazing to each of us; none of us had ever seen such huge displays. It was an Alice In Wonderful version of
Christmas ornaments' that had been scattered across the city like magic! The trees were wrapped with sparkling lights
and we found it difficult to stop walking.
We finally return to our hotel and a fun night of chattering away into
the wee hours.
The four of us had never before slept in the
same room with each other and those few days created a bond that has lasted
these many years. My oldest sister was
born in 1925, then a brother in 1932, another sister in 1935 and we twins in
1938 plus the unexpected baby brother in 1943.
We were like two families because of the difference in ages and we were
lumped in with the baby brother! What a
difference this one trip has made in our relationships with our older sisters
in the ensuing years.
Mary and I were determined to be on the "Today Show"
for our birthday. So, early on the
morning of December 22nd, our actual birthday, we set the alarm for the crack
of dawn and quietly slipped out of the hotel early in the morning. It was still dark when we arrived at the
television station that is located adjacent to Rockefeller Plaza. Mary had purchased red hats and gloves for us
to wear...as the wolf would say, "the better to see you my dear"; and
prepared a large sign that said, "TWINS 60 TODAY" and two smaller
ones. One of these told the story of our
trip to NYC and the other referenced the fact that the large Christmas tree on
the plaza was also sixty years old. I'm
sure it was our smiling faces that actually caught his eye. Plus the Santa hats that we'd also brought
with us from home.
We were early
enough that we positioned ourselves at the rope where we knew that Al Roker
would be standing when talking to the audience.
By the time the show started filming the area was packed solid but we
held our spot and sure enough we were interviewed for all of maybe a minute or
was that thirty seconds, and that was our claim to fame!
Back to the hotel to pick up the sleepy heads that had
enjoy several extra hours. They were
busy getting ready and we soon realized that sharing one bathroom with four woman
would not be an easy task. Especially
since our two older sisters needed hours of preparation as compared to our hop
out of bed and go attitude. After a
quick breakfast on the Concierge Floor, we were out the door and headed for our
first adventure: The Empire State
Building.
As we rode up in
the elevator, another passenger turned and said to us, "Are you the twins
that were on the Today Show this morning?" Well you can just imagine how that made our
day! What fun as we braved the strong
winds at the observation deck and thought about the movies that had been made
about this very spot. One of the views
that I caught on my camera was of the very tall World Trade Center Buildings
that loomed above the tall buildings near the tip of the Island. It was special as we were having dinner there
this evening.
Heading back we took time to see the
magnificent Christmas Decorations in Rockefeller Center on our way for a visit
the St. Patrick's Cathedral. Followed by
a light lunch before we got in line for our matinee performance of the
Rockettes at Radio City Hall.
What a day...and it was not over yet! After the show we walked towards our hotel
enjoying the many stores and their individual Christmas displays. After waiting for our older sisters; we were
ready much faster than they were, we headed up to the Concierge Floor for
cocktails before waving down a taxi for our evening adventure.
Our dinner at the Windows of the World Restaurant was a
gourmet feast complete with matching wines and then a small birthday cake with
two candles for dessert. The views were
spectacular and it was truly a moment to remember. Heading home by taxi we shared stories of
memories of the past and then tucked into a deep sleep much faster than the
first night.
Rising
early on the morning of the 23rd, our last full day in the Big Apple, we
stopped in to see the Trump Towers and then over to Central Park where we
caught the prettiest horse buggy we could find.
The weather was crisp and very cold as we bundled under the horse
blankets provided by the cabbie! What a
glorious way to see Central Park as we snuggled deep into our blankets. After our ride we crossed the street and entered
the Plaza Hotel for a warm drink and to enjoy the very old and well preserved
decor of years gone by.
From there
we headed back for the hotel and a quick rest and cocktails before catching
another taxi to the famous restaurant known as "The Tavern on the
Green" for dinner compliments of our oldest sister as her birthday gift to
us. Then it was off to the theater for a
stage production of "Miss Saigon" a gift from our other sister. It was a late night and not much chatter at
bedtime as we quieted down for our last winter's sleep together in New York
City.
We woke on
the 24th to snow; beautiful but what would it do to our flights? My flight was scheduled for noon and I
arrived in plenty of time. My sisters
enjoyed a day of snow before heading to the airport for their short flight to
Indiana. I boarded the plane and then
waited for nearly three hours before we were able to take off because of the
icing problems. My well laid plans were
suddenly in turmoil! My three o'clock
arrival stretched further and further.
Decisions were made just before I finally left the tarmac that everyone
would go to Mass and have dinner without me; actually without us as Jim was
going to be at the airport waiting for me.
The plane
touched ground in Los Angeles about six pm and we headed in traffic towards our
home in Orange County. Everyone was waiting
to open presents when we walked into their warm embrace at the end of a very
hectic day for all of us. Did I regret
throwing everyone's Christmas Eve into chaos...not for a New York Minute!
Having just
returned from a trip to New York City and reviewing the changes from my first
trip: The World Trade Center is being
rebuilt, only one building but still will eventually tower over the other
buildings nearby. The area near the
center has been totally rehabbed and is a vibrant and important part of the
city. The Rockettes are still dancing,
Time Square is now reserved for pedestrians, The Tavern on the Green has
closed, The Plaza Hotel is now mostly condos, the carriages at Central Park are
still beautiful and life goes on in the Big Apple!
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